Blog Award from Anne in France

Lovely verse, courtesy of Little Birdee Blessings

Hullo there everyone. 
Some weeks ago now, when not that well, I was greatly encouraged to receive this Liebster Blog Award from Anne in France, of Ink-A-Doodle-Do Blog - check out her amazing work here... thanks, dear friend!

This award was designed to be a blog award in the pay it forward fashion. Once you've been nominated, you can award it to five blogs that you like that have fewer than 200 followers, to encourage new visitors to visit these blogs. Just thank the person who gave you the award and link back to their blog. Post the award onto your blog. 

ABOUT THE AWARD

This award was designed to be a blog award in the pay it forward fashion. Once you've been nominated, you award it to five blogs that you like that have fewer than 200 followers, to encourage new visitors to visit these blogs.

RULES FOR ACCEPTANCE 

Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to their blog. Post the award onto your blog. Give the award to five bloggers who you appreciate that have fewer than 200 followers. Leave a comment on their blog letting them know that you have given them this lovely award!

PAY IT FORWARD

I just want to make it clear, if I have awarded this award to anyone who does not wish to receive it,  please let me know and will simply remove your name - as not everyone loves to have these.

I have especially chosen new members of the Wonderful Encouragers, who are also new bloggers.
Here are the five wonderfully inspirational blogs that I think you should check out.  

• Cathy of Cathy's card spot - maker of inspiring cards.
• Amy, Insomniac Crafter - please pop over to see her wonderful bog HERE 
•   Helpful Andrea of Arty Andrea a maker of beautiful cards, and a kind caring heart!
• Betsy, of the Simple life of a Queen, a very faithful visitor at my blog.  
• Another Wonderful Encourager - Robyn, who has a great encouraging blog over here
• Last but not least by any means, latest Wonderful Encourager - Mrs D. of "Chris's Cards and Bits"

Thanks so very much everyone for popping over for peek and chat - and dont forget to visit the other folks too, please.  :D

Thank you! you are a blessing, all of you! 
Shaz in Oz.x

Friday Smiles + Cards, Wrapping Paper ~ Too Good to Waste!

Hullo there everyone.
Firstly, a big welcome to my latest Wonderful Encourager - Robyn, who has a great encouraging blog over here!

Well, this month is very busy one for birthdays - too many to enumerate (and one missed, oops - I thought, and thought, then I forgot, always the one first in the month!).

I was wrapping a friend's present, and as did so thought how much I loved the paper - then mind started wandering on how I could make some quick and easy cards with it!!

 And so I did!! this is just the start as thought would do three or four of them, used Spellbinder Circles, and some SU punch outs bought pre-cut on eBay not right colour the base so used textas again. The Scalloped oval colour was better second time around.

 The Kimmy Luvs Cuttlebug folder worked so well with the "heartfelt wishes" stamping on the greeting ~ gotta love that. Some pearls and ribbon binding to adorn - the red is actually softer not quite so bright as it looks on my screen.
{Ha ha! I just noticed have used the folders two different ways - one is debossed and other is embossed!}

As it is Friday thought would link over with Annie and her Friday Smile Post!

 Two pickies - the first from my blog on WOYWW Wednesday in case you missed it HERE. {Take a peek at baby pineapple growing in my backyard too on WOYWW post link, above too} :

Here 4 weeks old are two HUGE little fluffy baby Peewee's pushing at each other almost to fit in the nest. They are according to reports a laugh a minute as they try to learn to fly and wibble-wobble on branches around the nest. One is slightly more advanced than the other - didn't my sister take a good photo?!

Isn't God's creation simply amazing?
Such tiny little birds - and He cares about them all and us and our burdens, see Matthew 6:27 
"Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" 

Second Smile is from an old comic and I love Garfield, very appropriate with so many birthdays this month!

 

Over at Annie's it is - Friday Smiles: - Join us do!!

Well, thanks so much everyone for popping over for peek and chat.. and may God bless your day wherever you may be.. 
Shaz in Oz.x

I would like to link the card with ribbon binding red bow, over to these challenges:

Papertake Weekly:  Anything Goes.(Tues.12th) 

LEJ Designs: Anything  Goes.        ( 12/2 )

Ladybug Crafts: Girly/Female.        ( 12/2)
Simon Says Challenge Blog: Have a heart. (Wed. 13th)
Moving Along With The Times: Only Girls allowed (Thursday 14th)
Challenges 4 Everybody: Anything goes.(Fri 15th)
Pixie's Crafty Workshop: Use your snippets up.

PS will not make WOYWW this coming week, and commenting maybe sporadic, sorry. Commitment overload, but in a nice way, at our house. 

WOYWW, Flora + Fauna of Oz + Card Challenge!

Hullo there everyone!!!

Well, here we are - yes another delightful day here of lovely summery weather - great temps at the mo - not too hot and not too cold - Goldilocks right!

Now to my desk, as it is WOYWW or "What is On Your Workdesk Wednesday". Over at Julia's we check out one another's workdesk/ floors or wherever we may create (peek here)!  Join us, do!

Okay a lot of inkiness going on here - or was last night!! Monkeys survey it, they are not quite sure if it came off or no!! this type of "brayered ink with cling wrap" aka Barbara Gray. Maggie Silvercrafter wrote of it on her post last week - see here!
As  we dont have such things on TV with Babara Gray over here - Maggie kindly sent me the instructions. I shall confess, I cant help myself, and I have put my own slant on it! do that with cooking recipes too! Will do a separate post on it one day (have it started) - when have finished pieces have in mind. So watch this space. Awesome colours aren't they?
Otherwise desk playing is mostly tidied away, as cleaning day again.

Well, have some lovely photos of interest today from Oz!! 

Firstly it is the pineapple growing in our yard; put it in after seeing them growing in my friend's garden just around the corner. About eighteen months ago cut the top off shop bought pineapple, and planted it in the backyard, in well drained spot with sun, and bit of water when remembered.

Yesterday look what I spied! It has shot at last with its wee new fruit about to appear after the flowering, from all our rain no doubt! and you would not believe how prickly it was. I thought it would be soft at this stage - but no, prickly all the way! 

I thought at as I looked at it how similar to the bromeliad family it was, so did some research.. see HERE and was right! 
Pineapples are bromeliad flowers (which also bear fruit) who would have thought?  :D 
Click on pickies if want a better look.

About a month ago I showed you the Peewee nest up at my sister's. Back then the mumma Peewee was sitting on her eggs, while dad was on guard.

Here 4 weeks later are two HUGE little fluffy baby Peewee's pushing at each other almost to fit in the nest. They are according to reports a laugh a minute as they try to learn to fly and wibble-wobble on branches around the nest. One is slightly more advanced than the other - didn't my sister take a good photo?!

To close, I thought I would share with you the card which I began on WOYWW last week on my desk, (with Memory Box dies - if you need tip to  help come them out ~ look here)! 
Hope you like it, Sarn? (see her's here)

Have so many birthdays this month I thought I'd to make it up for my sister's Birthday on Saturday. No worries she does not read this blog, so quite safe. 'Tis the same sister who took the Peewee pickies :D

Recipe: Memory Box Die Nottingham Border, Cuttlebug Vintage corners, Spellbinder fancy label, Cuttlebug Swiss Dots folder, few pearls. As these are all scraps used ( the Kraft coffee coloured paper is from an iceblock packet.. shock horror!! but I like it) and entering it in Di's Snippet's Challenge!

 Happy WOYWW everyone!
Thanks so VERY much for popping over for a peek and chat, and may God bless your day wherever you may be!!

Shaz in Oz.x 

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges also:

Sparkles: Die cuts & flowers. (15th)

Twisted Tuesday: Free for All. (10th)
Cute Cards Thursday: A different corner.

Natalie & Amy's challenge: Something old , something new. Two dies used.. Memory Box border brand new - Cuttlebug vintage corners were some of earliest dies. (28th)

Pretty little Ribbon Shop blog - Anything goes. (monthly - started 4/2)

Challenges for Everybody - Always anything goes (monthly - 2/3 approx.)

Upcycled Christmas Cards again!

Hullo there everyone - here is yet another of the up-cycled Christmas cards - made from shop bought cards received. Again you end up using colours and designs which you normally would not use! love it!

Not a before and after shot with this one (forgot). 

 Had nice side border but did not look right with this trimmed top edge. I did not like the greeting on this card so have not used it, this greeting already stamped in stash; wanted to use these brads for ages, nothing suitable up to now!! 

The ribbon was also a snippet, reject off another card. Embossed card is Cuttlebug 5x7 Holly and ribbons, also rejected when doing another card. 

If had decent gold bling would have added it to poinsettia but dont have it. 

Isn't funny how gold bling is always yellow really?  and fussy me, would rather go without than add it, on this card anyway. So many Snippets - so off to the play at Di's Snippet challenge for me!!

This card is made in the same format as the ones HERE on this post - where I used a card received for Christmas ( hand made from fibres in Rwanda) and used the image as a digi image. I really like it with this Cuttlebug Gracie's Frame folder - had to extend it (to see how to do this LOOK on this post HERE) to get it to work the way I wanted. 
(And over at Hazelnut's, Christmas Challenge she is looking for Christmas cards that have "P" in them. Mine is "P" is for Peel-offs ~  in the greeting!! :D
 PLUS  Hazel's EXTRA Challenge for February!) and Pretty little Ribbon Shop blog - Anything goes. 

Sometimes I wish I could design embossing folders .. they just dont make them the right size in my books.

I am not sure what is standard in US but it is not standard here .. guess we dont win that one!!
Thanks so much everyone for popping over for a peek and chat - and my our dear LORD bless your day wherever you may be.

Shaz in Oz.x
PS Big welcome to the very new Encourager on my blog - Andrea of "I would rather be Stamping", and how I agree!! 
and also my Black + Yellow card for OSA won top three over at Stamping Sensations - woo hoo!  I am not good at entering challenges, and then when I do, I mostly forget to check! really dont know how others do it!

Nativity Christmas Challenge + Friday's Smile at Annie's

Hullo there everyone!

Well, I am reliably informed after prolonged, deep thinking and much meaningful research that....

.... today is Friday! 

Well so what you might say? It is important for two reasons.

Over at Annie's it is - Friday Smiles:

....and over at Hazelnut's it is the last day to enter her Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge and she wants Nativity - so ta dah, here they are! 

 

They were made with a digi image I made from the Rwandan handmade card I received ~ post link is HERE (see pickie above also)
 I liked it so much wanted to make more cards with it. So printed up the image and made up thse cards here - two different ways {if anyone wants the digi image just let me know too}.

My funny is probably not very funny cos my resources are very slim.. but here is one that was in our paper, or I think that is where I had it from! and so know how it feels:

Well, thanks so much everyone for popping over for peek and chat.. and may God bless your day wherever you may be.. 
Shaz in Oz.x